


Helping The World One Spider At A Time

by cpt_winniethepooh



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Venom (Comics), Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Avengers (mentioned) - Freeform, Banter, Dorks, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Angst, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Venom Symbiote (Marvel), Venom wants to adopt Peter because he's a loser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-20 18:04:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16560659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cpt_winniethepooh/pseuds/cpt_winniethepooh
Summary: Thanks to Spider-Man, Eddie Brock can revisit New York.Venom thinks they should thank him.aka. my take on the MCU-Peter meeting Venom story many have theorized about.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Many, many thanks to the lovely [Star](https://oscula-sucre.tumblr.com/) who beta'd this!!! Thank you so much for your constant help! <3   
>  
> 
> Also thank you to [Clarissa ](http://nomorepainwithslash.tumblr.com/)for letting me brainstorm with them!!
> 
>  
> 
> I think it's pretty self-explanatory but just to be safe:
> 
>  
> 
>  _italics_ is Eddie thinking
> 
>  _ **BOLD CAPS ITALICS**_ is Venom thinking
> 
>  **BOLD CAPS** is Venom speaking
> 
>  
> 
> every other italics is just emphasis.

Eddie stopped to take a deep breath the moment he stepped out of the precinct.

 ** _WE CLEAR, EDDIE?_** Venom asked; their first words for hours. It was a relief to finally feel that voice reverberating around his head, even though their presence could be felt constantly, and even though it had been Eddie who had spent days drilling Venom on keeping silent for the duration of his interview.

It would’ve been foolish to reveal their little secret in the middle of a police station, or to leave visual evidence on the security cameras that could prove something was off with a run off the mill reporter.

_Yes, V. You were wonderful. Thank you._

Venom preened under the praise, and Eddie knew that the warmth that he felt around his heart was his other’s doing.

**_HUNGRY, EDDIE._ **

Well, of course they were.

 _I know a place that has a variety of chocolate the likes of which you haven't seen_ , Eddie thought at them.

It had taken them some months to perfect talking silently: months of Eddie always walking around with a headset as a cover. And now they could feel and understand each others’ every emotion, but Eddie still preferred using words.

Venom perked up at the idea of chocolate.

 _Let me grab a few burgers first_.

**_BUT CHOCOLATE!_ **

They had learned the hard way that Eddie's body reacted badly to unmonitored amounts of sweets to an empty stomach. Eddie sent Venom the mental image of crouching over a toilet, accompanied with the foul, lingering taste in his mouth. Venom recoiled.

 ** _BUT CHOCOLATE LATER_** , they amended.

Eddie nodded to himself.

God, he had missed New York. San Francisco was fine and all, but nothing could beat the greatest city in the world. A part of him — a part that was tucked finely under layers of anxiety about being discovered — got thrilled when the police called him with news regarding Spider-Man having caught the Sin-Eater and Eddie having to travel to the East Coast in order to give a new statement.

Years ago he had claimed that the primary suspect of a series of murders around the city, a Mr. Emil Gregg, was a compulsive confessor and not the real killer, for which he was rebuffed, made fun of and eventually fired from the Daily Planet. Now that Spider-Man caught the real guy, Eddie's story was judged under a new light.

 ** _COULD MOVE BACK PERMANENTLY?_** Venom asked, sensing his enthusiasm for the place.

“No!” Eddie said, causing a few people to stare. He pretended to unfruitfully search for something in his pockets, but it was quite unnecessary: nobody cared in New York.

 _No, dear,_ he continued silently. _The Avengers are here, remember? Too many heroes in this city. We can't risk being discovered._

It was a miracle as it was that nobody had connected the post-Riot appearances and crime-solving of Venom back to Eddie.

Venom curled and uncurled in his mind. **_BUT YOU LOVE THIS CITY._**

Not being able to lie to himself was a curse and a blessing. Eddie sighed. _Our relationship is more important than a city._

Eddie had had cats, so he knew what real purring was like, but he had yet to come up with a better term to describe how Venom expressed intense satisfaction. It was like a buzzing sound at the back of Eddie's head, but not uncomfortable and annoying. More like… being tipsy and seeing everything in a golden-peach light.

 ** _SOMEBODY IS FOLLOWING_** **,** Venom thought, and Eddie crashed back to reality. But there were too many people around them, the streets too crowded, to spot anybody without being obvious.

They walked on, more cautiously than before. The previously warm and content buzz turned into an alarming siren: Venom disliked being threatened.

This was what motivated Eddie to take a right turn to a lesser populated street, and from then, another right to a deserted alley full of huge trash containers.

Typical.

_V? I need you to stay hidden, no matter what happens. If someone attacks, just make us invisible and get us out of here. Nobody should see us._

**_COPY_ ** **.**

He could feel the distaste in his other's voice, but the promise was enough.

Eddie placed himself with his back to the wall, arms down but ready to snap up at a moment's notice, and he took in his surroundings: what he could use and what could be used against him. He expected someone to turn up from the mouth of the alley any moment when Venom nudged him gently.

**_ABOVE!_ **

Not a second later a red blur landed on top of a dumpster, and Eddie found himself face to face with Spider-Man.

“Man, I thought I lost you!” Spider-Man exclaimed in a suspiciously young voice.

“You were following… me?” Eddie caught himself the last moment. He could talk in plural with Annie and Dan, but it would've been an immature mistake with Spider-Man.

_Spider-Man._

Venom was also still in shock.

“Yeah! Oh, I mean, not in a creepy way,” Spider-Man said hurriedly, and any cool demeanor he may have had evaporated. “Not _stalking_ you, or anything, I just wanted to talk to you.”

“That doesn't sound ominous,” Eddie remarked. What on Earth could Spider-Man want from him? It surely couldn't have been about Venom. They had been extremely careful.

**_BEHAVED WELL, EDDIE._ **

Eddie was too focused on acting normal to reply.

“What? No, I really just wanted to—” and he jumped down from the dumpster to be at eye-level with Eddie, but he landed in a pool of disgusting brown liquid that was oozing out of a bag of bottles. He swore, using nothing but PG-13 curse-words, and kicked out with his feet to get rid of the sticky goo.

 ** _EDDIE_**. Venom sounded intrigued.

_Yeah, buddy._

“—people should clean out their bottles, this isn't environment-friendly at all,” Spider-Man was saying.

Eddie crossed his arms in front of himself.

Spider-Man almost fell over, but caught himself with a shot of his webbing at the last minute.

Venom perked up even more. **_EDDIE_** , he thought urgently.

“I wanted to ask why you wanna talk to me, but I’m actually more curious about how you actually caught Stanley Carter now,” Eddie said.

“That's classified,” Spider-Man said indignantly, and with the tone of someone who has heard that thrown at his way a few dozen times. He was standing on only one leg, because the moment he put the other down it got stuck to the concrete. Loudly.

“...you stumbled upon something accidentally, didn't you.”

“...it's not an accident if you are already patrolling the streets?” Spider-Man said.

Eddie refrained from face-palming, but only at the cost of rolling his eyes.

“Still, you managed to clear my name, so thank you.”

“Yeah, um, you’re welcome...”

Eddie braced himself for the mental onslaught of “ _What can I say, except, you’re welcome”_ , and Venom didn't disappoint.

He regretted introducing them to Disney for about the hundredth time.

“...and that's what I've wanted to say, you know, that I’m sorry for how the police and the Planet treated you when you said Gregg wasn’t the killer.”

Eddie grunted. Venom soothed their tendrils over his wounded self-esteem and his hurt sense of justice.

“When I read about it, after I caught Carter, I really felt sorry that you had to leave.”

There had been a time when Eddie had hated being pitied. When he believed that Venom was killing him, however, he was thankful for anybody willing to help him, and later on with Venom he learned how valuable human emotions are.

Venom spasmed upon the memory.

**_SORRY, EDDIE. SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT._ **

_It's all right, dear._

“Thanks,” Eddie told him.

“Especially after how many other criminals you've caught with nothing but a pen,” Spider-Man went on, and even if he wanted to, Eddie couldn't have been mad at someone with so much enthusiasm.

Venom smirked at the thought of stabbing someone with a pen, though.

“Well, we can't all have superpowers,” Eddie said, and the smirk inside intensified.

“I know, that's why those that do have a job to help!” Spider-Man exclaimed, gesturing wildly, and proceeded to bump his arm into the drainpipe. Eddie wanted to ask if his parents knew he was out in the world after dark to stumble upon catching bad guys.

 ** _EDDIE_** **,** Venom thought. **_EDDIE, HE ISN'T COOL, IS HE?_**

_I don't think so, V._

Venom pondered over something.

“That's a noble thought,” Eddie said. “Until that mentality gets you killed.”

“Well, yeah,” Spider-Man rubbed his aching arm. “Still. If I don't help, who will?”

“The X-men or the Avengers, depending on which borough we’re talking about?”

Normally Eddie shared the same sense of responsibility, and so did Venom. But with each passing second Eddie just wanted to wrap the kid in a blanket, give him some cookies and sing him a lullaby.

Oh. Right. Eddie realized what he had been missing: Spider-Man was just a _kid._

 ** _EDDIE_** , Venom shared his revelation.

“They don't have time for bicycle thieves, they’re too busy saving the world,” Spider-Man waved.

“Is your suit bulletproof? Stab-proof?” Eddie asked. “Because even bicycle thieves can carry things that kill.”

Venom recoiled at the thought of Spider-Man lying in the pool of his own blood, dead.

“I can take care of myself, and Mr. St— I mean my suit can withstand explosions and everything,” the kid said indignantly.

**_EXPLOSIONS?!_ **

Eddie shared the feeling: he would've been much calmer knowing that Spider-Man stayed far away from explosions to begin with.

“Wow, crime has really gone up since I left town if catching bicycle thieves involves explosions.”

“Which is exactly why I have to help,” Spider-Man concluded with an air of self-righteousness. “So, yeah, all I wanted to say is I’m glad your name is clear again. Have a nice day!”

And before Eddie could've said anything more than a “don’t crash into anything”, Spider-Man shot a web to a nearby rooftop and disappeared into the sky. The only clue about his whereabouts was some glass shattering, a dog barking nearby, and soft, PG-13 cursing.

**_HE IS A LOSER, EDDIE._ **

_Yeah, V._

**_BUT HE WANTS TO BE A HERO. HE IS LIKE US. WE HAVE TO HELP HIM!_ **

Eddie, fully aware what such a devoted statement from his other could possibly entail, sighed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooooo this version of Eddie/Venom is more from the 2016-2018 comics, but they have the movie-version's backstory. I just love how utterly devoted they are to each other :3
> 
> I've also given Eddie a reason as to why he had to leave New York that is different than the comics and portrays him in a more sympathetic light -- he doesn't have a reason to hate Spidey in the movies, after all, and neither does Venom. 
> 
> I'll tell you what inspired this story in the next chapter! ;)
> 
> Please leave me a comment and tell me your thoughts!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess how well do things go when Venom decides to ignore Eddie's advice and there's some bells involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still huge thanks to [Star](https://oscula-sucre.tumblr.com/) for the beta!
> 
> And thank you too, dear readers, for the incredible support I got for this fic! I can't believe how many of you liked chapter 1 and it warmed my heart so much :) <3

Back in the safety of their hotel room, Eddie's anxiety subsided.

They'd made it through the day without an incident. Hell, they made it through the _precinct_ without an incident. They even talked to Spider-Man without having been recognized.

Eddie exhaled loudly.

**_DID GOOD, EDDIE._ **

_Yeah, V, you were amazing._

They took a hot bath, because Eddie decided they deserved good things. And Venom especially needed positive reinforcement.

His other didn't like being wet, but he appreciated the finer things in life, and a chocolate-scented bubble bath definitely counted as one. To top it all off, Eddie placed the bag of chocolates they'd bought on the way home within reach, and when a small blob of Venom appeared on his shoulder, he fed it to them and himself piece by piece.

They then burrowed in the warm bed with a laptop, Venom sinking back into Eddie. His other could survive on their own without a host for a while; and they could be a “suit” for a length of time the upper limit of which they had yet to determine. But Venom preferred to be _in_ Eddie: Eddie defined their life, he was the frame of their existence, they had said. And they specifically wanted _Eddie_ , not just any host.

 ** _NOT JUST ANY HOST_** , Venom echoed. **_EDDIE. YOU ARE KIND AND GOOD TO ME._**

_I love you too, V._

Venom purred.

 

Even with Venom, and even as a not-super not-hero, a part of Eddie would always be a reporter, ready to do some digging and uncover some secrets. So when they were both well-fed and comfortable in the queen-sized bed, Eddie turned his laptop on to get some research done.

Well, no journalist skills were needed to see what the world thought of Spider-Man. He had first been sighted around four years ago, and was constantly being featured in crime-related articles. What he told Eddie was true: the guy worked on the smaller end of the “capturing criminals” scale, mostly including ordinary robbers, thieves, some breaking and entering, maybe a couple of smugglers. His biggest catch so far had been the Vulture, also a thief. He fought alongside the Avengers from time to time, but never officially joined them.

Based on that little slip in the alley, he had met Tony Stark outside of Avenging business too, and Stark improved his suit.

Venom stirred uneasily at the thought of the Avengers, mimicking Eddie's feelings, but it was some comfort to know that the kid had Stark tech.

The kid.

Yeah, that explained why he didn't have anyone like the Juggernaut on his catch list and why he was only an honorary Avenger. Even Stark couldn't have been stupid enough to allow an actual teenager on the team. Although if he gave him the suit…

 ** _THE YOUNG ONES NEED PROTECTION_** **,** Venom chimed in.

 _Symbiotes too?_ Eddie asked.

**_YES. US TOO._ **

One day, Eddie would ask after symbiote reproduction, but that was a different issue for a different day. He turned his attention back to Spider-Man.

His identity was still unknown, and based on the tone of the articles Eddie had found, New Yorkers regarded him as a friendly neighborhood superhero. The kind that you could call if your dog disappears during a storm, or if your grandma's favorite pair of earrings get stolen.

**_BUT HE COULD DO GREAT THINGS_ ** **.**

_He already is, buddy._

The most recent news had been Spider-Man having caught the _real_ Sin-Eater, Stanley Carter; and the police having to release Miggs and apologize to Edward Brock and get his statement.

Venom's purring increased. **_HAPPY HE CLEARED YOUR NAME._**

_So am I, dear._

It was clear that most of New York didn't expect such a feat from Spider-Man, and it was clear to Eddie that neither did Spider-Man.

**_WE COULD REPAY HIM, EDDIE._ **

_What do you have in mind?_ Because Eddie had the sinking feeling in his gut (right below where Venom was) that maybe his other wasn't just thinking about sending the kid a basket of chocolate.

**_HE HAS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WE DO. HE DOESN'T HAVE A NEMESIS._ **

_O-kay?_

**_EVERY HERO NEEDS A VILLAIN. CAPTAIN AMERICA HAD THE RED SKULL. THOR HAD LOKI. BUT HE DOESN't HAVE ONE._ **

There was a dramatic pause.

**_WE COULD BE HIS VILLAIN._ **

Eddie really wished he could say that this had been Venom's stupidest idea to date, he really did. And also that he hadn’t gone so much into detail about the Avengers, but he had to make his other _understand_ why they needed to keep the lowest possible profile.

Seems like he failed to make that last one stick.

He was so shocked he spoke aloud.

“You want us to be a _villain_?”

Through their years together, Venom had learned to want to preserve human life instead of wanting to maim and murder in the face of the slightest inconvenience. They wanted to be a _hero_ , to be loved and appreciated by people — mostly Eddie, but also by whoever they happened to help. And people, even the people of San Francisco, found it very hard to appreciate someone that just bit a human’s head off.

So they toned it down to the point where they only killed if it was unavoidable — Venom sometimes still didn’t know the full effect of their own strength, and if they got frightened (mostly at the thought of losing Eddie) or wounded then all bets were off. Especially if Eddie got hurt, too. But they also grew a conscience, or something very close to it, and when they came back to themselves and saw massacre around themselves, they usually became just as depressed as Eddie when he had believed that Venom had died, and then it was up to Eddie to drag Venom back from the self-loathing.

Venom sensed the shift in Eddie at the suggestion, and how Eddie desperately didn’t want to go back to eating brains. Not unless they belonged to a serial rapist, maybe, and definitely not just to give Spider-Man better press.

**_NO, EDDIE! NOT EATING BRAINS WHEN WE HAVE CHOCOLATE. NOT DOING BAD THINGS. ONLY PRETENDING TO._ **

Well, that… was certainly better than what Eddie imagined.

Venom curled around his heart reassuringly, and Eddie idly stroked his own chest.

 ** _YOU WERE A HERO WHEN THE DRAKE-ROCKET EXPLODED_** _,_ Venom reminded him, involuntarily bathing Eddie in disappointment: Venom was only a passing point in that narrative. Then the feelings of joy and triumph sweeped everything out when they thought about all the causes they had helped: the news reports featuring a big black non-humanoid hero with long sharp teeth, how even Annie congratulated them on their efforts.

_You think we could be a real hero if we had a villain?_

**_YES._ **

_And you want the same for Spidey._

**_HE HELPED US. GOOD PEOPLE RETURN THAT._ **

It was hard to argue with that logic, but that didn’t make Venom’s idea any more reasonable.

_Aham. And pray tell, what if it’s the Avengers that take us on?_

**_WILL BE CAREFUL_** , Venom promised. **_WILL PLAN._**

_Yeah, because you are great planning._

**_I AM!_ **

_Remember that time we got stuck up a tree in a storm after you saved that cat?_

**_…FINE. YOU PLAN._ **

“No. No, V, this is a stupid idea — if the Avengers come after us then we’re done. We can’t risk that!”

Venom puffed out — they believed they were strong enough to take on even the Avengers, which, _no_.

 _Maybe we could take some of them out, but they are heroes. The world loves them. We would be a pariah. And they are smart, Stark and Banner especially — they would figure out our weaknesses, they would try to separate us to destroy us,_ he tried to reason with his other.

Venom rippled under Eddie’s skin anxiously. **_NEVER!_**

_Better not even trying them! We cannot reveal our true powers, or our identity. We’ll send a fruit basket to Spider-Man, maybe write a nice article about his heroics, and that’s enough of a thank you._

**_BUT—_ **

_Discussion over, Venom._

Venom sulked, conjuring up an uncomfortable taste in Eddie’s mouth, but sensing the finality of Eddie’s statement, didn’t argue further.

 

During the next few days, Venom brought the subject up twice more, and Eddie shot them down both times.

“No, Venom. We aren’t adopting Spider-Man.”

But he toyed with the idea of getting a cactus, just to see how Venom would deal with the responsibility.

Venom, for their part, kept up with the moping so much so that Eddie decided to bribe them out of their misery with some burgers.

 _You’ll feel better on a full stomach,_ he promised, and his other agreed with less enthusiasm than usual.

The sky was already dark, but the weather still warm, and the city buzzed with the early night life around them. Eddie kept a slow pace to show his other memories: his favorite coffee shop, the office building he first worked in, an ex-girlfriend’s block. By the time they reached the McDonalds — for some inexplicable reason Venom preferred that over any other burger joint around — Venom resembled a broody teenager less than before, and Eddie counted that as a win.

His victory lasted up until they were exactly twenty feet from the McDonald’s door, when Venom suddenly perked up, and before Eddie could prevent them, they materialized around Eddie into their huge body-suit.

_VENOM, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_

**_HELP,_** Venom unhelpfully supplied, and in three jumps was inside the McDonalds.

“ **MONEY** ,” they boomed. “ **ALL OF IT. AND A DOZEN OF YOUR BIGGEST BURGERS.** ”

_Venom, no!_

Venom ignored him, and no matter how much Eddie fought, held onto the reins strongly.

Eddie couldn’t recall the last time Venom shut him off so completely, and that hurt just as much as this new schtick they had going.

The patrons and the staff alike froze. The _other_ that was Venom around Eddie roared, showing off rows of sharp teeth. The spell around them broke and people screamed. Venom jumped on top of a counter for emphasis.

A girl behind the counter opened the cashier with shaky hands and threw the cash into a paper bag.

_Stop, why are you doing this!_

**“BURGERS**?” they asked.

The girl almost tripped over her own feet to give them what they asked. Then a tendril shot out and kicked guns out of the security personnel's hands, effectively overpowering them.

“Hey, this isn't how the McDrive works,” said a still very young voice over their head. They looked up at Spider-Man.

Eddie would’ve used his hands to facepalm if they hadn’t been controlled by Venom.

This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t have been happening.

Venom roared at Spider-Man.

“Whoa, there. Let's give the money back, or I’ll have to arrest you.”

They took on a stance that screamed _try us_.

Eddie wished he wouldn’t, but of course Spider-Man did.

He launched and shot them with his webbing.

They were not anticipating just how sticky that would be. By the time their hands were free, Spider-Man had punched them, and the accounts about his strength hadn't been exaggerating — even through their bulletproof skin the hit hurt. Not as much as they pretended, but it still did.

For the first time in his life, Eddie witnessed Venom’s _acting._

They feigned more lousiness, less agility and power than what they actually possessed. They stumbled back when they got hit. They failed to dodge. They roared and screamed wildly. When they attempted a strike, they pulled the punch and made sure not to aim at the head or at major organs.

When Spider-Man launched a particularly fast and wicked kick, they doubled over and whined. They dodged the next hit, and bolted out of the door — they had heard sirens in the distance as they disappeared in the sewers, well below the usual playground of someone swinging from one tall building to another.

 

 **“FAKE FIGHTS DON'T FEEL AS GOOD AS REAL ONES,”** Venom said with palpable disappointment.

“What the everloving fuck do you think you were doing?!” Eddie yelled at the head floating next to him. He didn’t care if the hotel staff or anybody else heard him — he wanted to _strangle_ Venom. “I _told you_ we cannot be seen in New York! What part of _no_ and _keep a low profile_ didn’t you get?!”

Venom scowled. “ **YOU ALWAYS DECIDE!”** they said angrily. **“I NEVER DO!** ”

“Because you make _stupid decisions_ and we've already established that!”

Despite Venom only having a mouth and two eyes, they were remarkably expressive. At the moment they recoiled. “ **I WANTED TO HELP!"**

" _You_ helped us into a giant mess that _I'll_ have to get us out of!" Eddie fired back, panting like he had been running a marathon.

" **BUT I JUST** — **"**

"No. Shut up. Just — shut up."

He sat down onto the bed and rubbed his head. The blessing of always having someone around in his brain now felt like a curse, what with Venom's intense righteousness, confusion and disappointment assaulting him, but at least his anger probably had the same effect on Venom.

He digged his phone out of his pocket to see how much damage Venom had caused. Their fight with Spider-Man got a decent coverage, and a nice amount of compliments from authorities, and so far no word on the connection between Venom and the Life Foundation fiasco.

" **DO YOU WISH I WAS WITH SOMEONE ELSE?"** Venom asked, and Eddie looked up into white, pupil-less eyes.

"...no. But I wish you listened to me."

Venom curled around him once and rested their head on his shoulder. " **SORRY, EDDIE.** "

He wanted to say _you should be_. But Venom felt the thought regardless of words.

" **WANTED TO HELP. HELP SOMEONE ELSE BE A HERO."**

Venom may have been impulsive as a child, but also had the kind heart of one, and Eddie found it hard to be angry at them for long. Even when his own safety was on the line.

"I know, my love. But we can't, not like this."

Venom, too, had things they wanted to say but not at the cost of hurtin Eddie, and Eddie felt them all — how Venom thought it was unjust that Eddie always called the shots while Venom was stuck as the shotgun, and how they wanted more agency.

"I didn't know you felt that way," Eddie said. _I didn't want to make you feel that way._

Venom headbutted him. **_DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE YOU ANGRY AND UNSAFE EITHER_** , they thought.

"Don't ever do something like this again," Eddie said, "but I promiseI’ll listen to you better, okay?"

**_OKAY._ **

 

Eddie still wanted to keep a low profile, but not at the cost of not helping someone in _actual_ danger. So when the next Saturday morning they heard the wailing of sirens and Venom expressed interest, Eddie followed the noise down a few blocks to be met with smoke oozing out of the windows of a ten-storey building's top flat.

The firemen were evacuating the building, but something was wrong with the smoke — Eddie (with Venom's help) overheard them mentioning that some chemical experiment had gone wrong and the smoke was able to penetrate their masks, so they waited for backup instead of entering the source apartment.

 ** _SMOKE DOESN'T HURT US_** , Venom thought.

Eddie contemplated for a second, and agreed with Venom’s feelings that they would regret not helping someone they could’ve easily saved.

_All right, but be careful._

Venom embraced Eddie in inky tentacles, and then they were running up the side of the building and into the flat.

While it was true that the smoke didn't hurt them, it did burn their eyes — Venom simply ceased breathing to prevent it getting into their lungs, but without eyelids, their eyes had no protection. Still, they tracked the rooms for any sign of life, and found an unconscious teenager next to some broken vials and Petri-dishes.

So it was indeed an experiment gone wrong.

When they lifted her, she came to and mumbled after her mother. They took her to the window they entered, and luckily the firemen caught up to the fact that someone was helping. They placed her into the arms of a fireman up the crane just outside the building, and went back to find her mother.

She was in the living room, also unconscious. They leaned down, and then a familiar voice spoke up.

"Wow, this is worse than my attempt at dumplings!"

Spider-Man jumped down from the ceiling, and then startled at the sight of them.

"What are _you_ doing here? Hey, don't hurt her!"

They had a split-second to decide what to do. If they lifted her up, they would have no way to defend themself. But they came here to _help._

Spider-Man lifted his arm, ready to web them down. His mask must have had a built-in filter, because the smoke didn't affect him.

" **HELP** ," Venom said, and that stopped Spider-Man.

"You mean..."

They crouched down and lifted her up, gently.

"Okay, that still doesn't help with the McDonalds-incident," Spider-Man said.

Eddie kind of agreed, but this wasn't the time.

Venom, however, had other ideas. They guessed that Spider-Man would engage when the woman was out of harm's way, so they threw her — gently — at him, then turned and jumped out of the nearest window to escape.

For a few seconds they thought they had gotten rid of him.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" a voice shouted after them, and Spider-Man was hot in pursuit, swinging on his webs.

Eddie cursed.

They ran atop buildings, leaped and dodged incoming web-shots, and jumped across large distances to get free. Spider-Man was relentless, however, and one of his webs caught Venom mid-leap and they began to fell.

_NO!_

Venom would heal him, sure, but Eddie's worst nightmares still included falls from inhuman heights just as much as they included memories of losing Venom.

By the time Venom clawed through the web they had crashed through the roof of a church, of all things.

“You know, you wouldn’t be so bad if you weren’t hell-bent on destroying my city,” Spider-Man told them. Venom revelled in the half-compliment around Eddie, and Eddie had to direct their attention where it was supposed to be. Spider-Man had an awful habit of throwing puns at people along with punches, but Venom usually filtered those out.

“ **YOU LEAVE WEBS EVERYWHERE,’** they reminded him.

“Fair point, but with presents to the police!”

Venom jumped up and away, but Spider-Man still followed.

“You could stop and we could work this out!” he shouted.

Venom stopped, bless his innocent heart, and Eddie had to step in.

 _He wants to catch us, it's a trap! Through the roof, now_!

They jumped up, not directly through the roof but up to the tower, to the highest part which usually had a window.

Spider-Man was quick to follow. He was just as fast as them, plus he had long-range weapons in the form of his webs. He shot at them, and they had to dodge and lean and somersault to evade being yanked back, and this time they weren’t pretending. This time, Venom genuinely fought for their and Eddie’s safety.

They almost made it to the very top… and then Spider-Man missed _again_ , his shot of webbing hit one of the bells, and the loudest and most awful, painful, horrible noise filled their ears.

Venom screamed, and Eddie screamed with them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by[ this hilarious post](https://why-is-everything-taken1.tumblr.com/post/179183454929/i-think-that-if-they-make-a-live-action-venom-vs) :D Which I wanted to execute better but oh well, I can't write action scenes to save my life.
> 
> On that note, I forgot to include my tumblr earlier but you can say hi [here](http://cpt-winniethepooh.tumblr.com/)if you want! 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there are consequences and reconciliations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STILL a huge thanks to Star for being amazing and supporting and correcting my rookie mistakes! You da best :)
> 
> And thank you too, dear readers, for the incredible feedback!!! <3

The pain was excruciating.

Eddie felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. Each toll of the bells sent new waves of vibrations through his body, and with that, new heights of torment came.

It affected Venom first and foremost, but since Eddie shared a mind and a body with them, he shared the suffering as well.

Venom’s thoughts became non-verbal and incoherent. All that remained were feelings of **_pain pain PAIN_** — the kind that erased logic and comprehension. Venom rippled on his skin, the black inky substance retreating and shivering, trying to withdraw into Eddie’s body, trying to seek shelter and cover itself— trying, _crying—_

Eddie saw the whites of Spider-Man’s artificial eyes go even wider with his own two human eyes. He knew that he would have to get them out of the church because his other was incapacitated — he forced himself through the pain, every muscle aching and protesting, his every pore sweating profusely, but he had to, he had to save his other, the had to save the both of them, because only together would life be worth living, and he reached out to grab something, _anything_ that could help them.

Spider-Man was saying something, but Eddie didn’t hear it and didn’t care. They just wanted to help, they had hurt nobody, and yet Spider-Man hurt _them_. It didn’t matter that he was just a teen, or that he was a superhero, or the protective instincts he had awakened in them; it only mattered that he _hurt Eddie’s other._

Eddie grabbed a brick from the debris they created when they crashed the place, and swung it with full-force right into Spider-Man’s abdomen. The kid toppled over the ledge and went flying down the stairs. Eddie turned and without looking back, without thinking, threw himself out the window, hoping that his other would materialize again before he hit the ground.

Venom did, but just barely. Eddie suspected it was more of an automatic response than anything else, and that without their months spent together, without them conditioning each other to be each other’s first priority, it wouldn’t have happened. But as they put distance between them and the tolling bells, Venom stabilized more and more, and eventually they made it to the hotel.

Venom still hadn’t said a word. They were shivering inside, and they curled around Eddie’s heart and stomach as Eddie threw large pieces of chocolate into his mouth.

“We just need energy, love,” he said aloud. “And we’ll be fine. You’re fine, I’m fine. We’re fine. We’re absolutely fine.”

His own hand couldn’t hold the bar steadily. He wanted to sink down, maybe take a hot bath, to erase even the memory of what had happened. His words came out unsteady and weak, just like how he felt.

Venom remained silent.

“We need a plan,” Eddie said, and fumbled for his phone. He couldn’t put in his the password and all he saw of the screen was a soaring bright blur. “We need— we need to— Anne, I’ll call Annie here, and you can leave with her—”

To _that_ , Venom found his voice. A lot smaller and less commanding one than before, sure, but Eddie’s worries receded even despite the shakiness.

 ** _EDDIE,_** Venom begged. **_STAAAY._**

“Can’t, love,” Eddie swallowed another piece of chocolate without chewing. “We— he saw us. He saw _me_. He recognized me. He’ll show up here sooner or later, and you cannot be here now that he knows our weakness.”

 ** _COME_** , Venom pleaded.

“He’ll come after us if I don’t persuade him first,” Eddie rubbed at his chest. He hated even the idea of being away from his other, of being alone. “Annie can get you home safe and I’ll come after you as soon as possible.”

 ** _WHY,_** Venom asked.

They were still in shock, Eddie concluded. Still non-comprehending.

 _I want you safe_ , Eddie tried, and decided he needed water after all the sweets. And maybe a face-wash, to make him feel more human.

 ** _SAFE IS YOU_**.

 _Oh, my dear_.

Venom was harder to reason with and harder to resist than a puppy or a child.

Still, Eddie began throwing his clothes into his backpack to move hotels before Spider-Man caught up to them.

The worst of the extended Avengers. A Stark-protegé.

And now Eddie and Venom were so _fucked._

 ** _SORRY, EDDIE,_** Venom whispered.

Eddie was happy to find only a fragment of resentment for Venom. There was no way he could’ve moved back to New York, anyway. What was done was done, no use crying into spill milk, and all that.

**_EDDIIEEE._ **

_Shh, love. It’ll be alright._

He swept the room one last time before he zipped his backpack shut while also dialing Annie. The line rang and rang without an answer before it went to voicemail.

“Shit.”

 ** _EDDIE_**.

He picked Dan from his contacts list next, but then the door burst open.

On the other side stood Spider-Man in all his red and blue glory.

Venom recoiled at the sight, but then wrapped around Eddie protectively, mind blank with rage.

“Hey man, so I had this weird thing happen— holy shit!”

_V, NO!_

But it was too late. Venom snarled at Spider-Man like an antagonized Rottweiler.

“ **HURT US, NOW PAY!** _”_

But before they could take another step, Spider-Man lifted his arm, pushed a button, and an antagonizing sound filled the room.

Eddie fell to his knees as Venom liquefied around him and dripped to the floor.

“STOP!” Eddie yelled at Spider-Man. “Stop, you’re hurting us! Stop it!”

Then it was only ringing, and Eddie’s disoriented mind thought it was the phone — but no, it was Venom’s leftover cries of torment still echoing inside his mind.

“What the hell is going on?” Spider-Man asked, and Eddie flinched from him.

“Shut up!”

And for once in his life, Spider-Man did.

 _Love?_ Eddie asked, and he didn’t even try to stand up as he clutched at his chest. _Love, are you in there?_

Somewhere deep inside a whimper answered, and Eddie let out a sigh of relief. He sagged even lower; his limbs were made of jelly, there was no way he would be able to stand up now.

“Man, I… what’s happening?” Spider-Man asked. “You’re the reporter, right? Eddie Brock? But you’re also… that?”

He gestured at the black drops of ink still swirling around Eddie’s knees on the floor. Eddie touched the ink gently, but it didn’t respond.

“Do you usually… barge into people’s rooms… and torture them before asking a question?” Eddie panted.

“I— I didn’t mean to!” Spider-Man protested. “I thought that thing was possessing you! Hurting you!”

 _“You_ were hurting _us_!”

“You were terrorizing the city!”

They glared at each other.

“We wanted to help,” Eddie grumbled, fully aware how just like Venom he sounded.

“Help _who_?”

Eddie took small pleasure in throwing Spider-Man off his rhythm.

“You. You’re not very popular as a hero and… we thought you needed a, um, chance to show what you can do.”

The lack of Venom’s thankfulness at Eddie not throwing them under the bus worried Eddie more than anything.

Spider-Man gaped at him, speechless. It was amazing how many expressions the mask conveyed successfully.

Then Eddie felt that something wasn’t all right the same moment Spider-Man did.

“So you did— AAARGH!”

But he and Eddie both jumped up too late: Venom had slithered up to Spider-Man, using the dead parts on the floor as cover, and attached to him.

“VENOM, NO!” Eddie yelled. He jumped to them, tried to peel Venom off, but Venom wouldn’t attach to his hand, instead they sank into Spider-Man. He didn’t understand — he still felt Venom inside, the ringing pain, the second set of emotions — and he watched in horror as Spider-Man and Venom fought for dominance before the human collapsed onto the floor.

“No, no, don’t do this, Venom,” Eddie begged and clawed at the Spider-suit — there had to be an in, he needed to get to his other before they did something stupid, “He’s just a kid, he doesn’t know us, he doesn’t want to hurt us, Venom, _please…”_

He put every emotion through the bond, too. _We’re better than this, you’re better than this, don’t hurt him!_

 ** _WANTS TO SEPARATE US, EDDIE,_** Venom snarled. **_WON’T LET IT HAPPEN._**

“Remember the last time you tried to help and how that led us here? You’re just going to make things worse again, Venom, _stop!”_

Venom stopped. Eddie felt them clearly, now, felt them sinking into vital organs and suffocating them, but they stopped.

_Come back to me, love, just come back to me._

Venom pondered for a few more moments before he reluctantly, petulantly drew back, inch by inch, from the kid, and onto Eddie’s hands, and into Eddie’s body.

 _Thank you_.

**_TOGETHER._ **

_Yes. Yes, we are and will be._

Eddie tried to seek out the kid’s pulse, but he felt nothing through the strong fabric of the suit.

**_COULD LEAVE NOW. DISAPPEAR._ **

“We can’t leave him like this.”

He fumbled around for an opening, and he found the place where the mask connected to the neck of the suit. He pulled it up completely, and yep, this was just a kid. Most likely still in high-school. Jesus. And Eddie hit him in the stomach with a _brick._

 ** _DESERVED IT_**.

Then something caught Eddie’s ears, and he lifted the mask to hear it better. Something was speaking inside — a female, slightly robotic voice.

“ _Heartbeat stabilizing. Liver and kidneys are no longer in critical condition. Lung activity still erratic. Peter, can you hear me? Brain functions normal. Peter—”_

Huh. So the kid had an AI, too.

“Peter?” Eddie asked. “Peter, you okay?”

And miracle of miracles, Peter’s eyes fluttered open. He gazed up at Eddie with foggy eyes — Venom still murmured murder — and then panicked so much that he tried to jump away, shot up backwards, and promptly hit his head in the doorway.

“Hey, hey, calm down, you’re in no state to climb walls now,” Eddie tried to soothe him.

“You— my mask! Why— ouch!”

The kid hugged his stomach and tried not to throw up.

“What’s… what…”

“Venom,” Eddie said apologetically. “My other, they… panicked, and kinda tried to shut your organs down.”

“Your… other???” the kid let out a high-pitched wheeze that probably started as a laugh. “The demon-thing?”

“Hey, watch your mouth.”

“Yeah, no, that’s just, that’s just peachy. And I thought I had issues in my relationships, but this takes everything.”

“You hang out too much with Stark,” Eddie concluded, and sat back to lean onto a wall.

“And you took off my mask!”

The kid was probably in shock, too.

“Yeah, I wanted to see if you were alive!” Eddie threw the mask at him, and it hit the kid — Peter — square in the face.

“And whose fault would that be if I wasn’t?!”

An uncomfortable pause set in.

“Mine,” Eddie admitted in a low voice. “I’m sorry, I… I was stupid.”

“Wow, this literally never happens,” Peter marveled. He considered the mask, then chucked it to the side. “I always offer bad guys to to just stop and apologize but it never works.”

 ** _NOT BAD GUYS_** , Venom grumbled.

 _He will know better, my dear, just let me handle it,_ Eddie sighed.

“Your pep talks _could_ use some improvement.”

“So could your manners,” Peter said, and he winced as he tried to stand up.

“I don’t think you should move,” Eddie cautioned.

“No, I’m fine, I’m— maybe I’ll just rest for a few seconds,” the kid sank back down. “So your… other… tried to eat my organs.”

“By all means you should be unconscious — do you have an enhanced healing factor?”

“Yeah. Does your other eat people’s insides often, or is it just me?”

“They get anxious when someone tries to separate us.”

“That doesn’t sound too healthy.”

Venom hissed.

“Hey, maybe don’t antagonize them when I’ve had to _beg_ them not to eat you?”

“You know, normally I don’t like being threatened, but you probably have a point. So what do you want now?”

**_CHOCOLATE._ **

“Chocolate,” Eddie said. “And to make sure you’re okay, then we leave.”

“I could use some sugar too,” Peter said. “But I don’t think you should leave.”

“Christ, you never know when to give up, do you.”

“You are dangerous!”

“So are you!”

“I don’t go around robbing fast food restaurants and throwing vehicles at people!”

“We only did that to make you look better,” Eddie grumbled, then stood up slowly. Peter eyed him warily, but Eddie just waved at him. “If we wanted to hurt you, you’d be dead.”

**I _WANT TO HURT HIM._**

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because it doesn’t. Just saying.”

Eddie made his way to his backpack slowly, rummaged around for the extra stashes of chocolate, and dropped some into Peter’s lap before he sat down to the floor again. Peter looked at him like he was crazy.

“Is this some anti-dementor thing?”

“It’s a hormonal thing,” Eddie said. “It’s either this or human brains.”

“Man, you know how to creep people out.”

“ **BE GLAD WE SHARE,** ” Venom took up the shape of his typical black blob to eat the chocolate straight from Eddie’s hand. “ **AND WE ARE _NOT_ DEMENTORS.”**

Peter’s face was priceless: the textbook expression of shock as he looked at Venom. But to his credit he decided to address the most pressing matter at hand.

“It knows Harry Potter?!”

“We like TV,” Eddie shrugged. Venom used way too many teeth to bite from the bar, and he let Eddie know in no uncertain terms that they weren’t happy to share any of it with the kid. Eddie scratched their chin, though, and they leaned in.

“You using plural all the time is creepy,” Peter said.

“Look, Peter— it’s Peter, right?”

“You shouldn’t know that,” Peter murmured.

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have figured out _our_ identity, so there. But listen, we never wanted to hurt you. Or anybody. We really just wanted to help.”

“For the record, next time just get me a gift-card, okay?”

“Noted.”

They munched in silence. Peter looked like he was afraid he was going to get poisoned, but then he took a bite as well.

“Are you serious when you said you wanted to make me _look better?_ ”

And so Eddie told him their reasoning.

It sounded extremely stupid when he said it out loud. Maybe he should return to discussing important matters aloud with Venom; that always seemed to work.

“…I don’t know if I should be flattered or offended,” Peter said.

“ **YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY YOU’RE ALIVE** ,” Venom said.

“O-kay, as far as motivations go, yours is… not the worst,” Peter said. “But for real: are you sure your… other isn’t…” he made weird gestures with his hands at Venom. Eddie stared. “’Cause it wasn’t fun, when it was in me. They. I mean they.”

Well, that soothed Venom’s antagonism somewhat, even if he only had second-hand notions about human pronouns.

“They were trying to kill you. Obviously that hurts.”

“…obviously.”

“How did you even meet?”

“If we tell you, will you tell us how you became Spider-Man?”

They glared at each other for a few moments.

“Thought so,” Eddie concluded.

“Look, I…” Peter stared into the distance. “I really don’t want to hurt you, but you cannot keep terrorizing the city. Or eating people.”

“We aren’t eating people anymore,” Eddie clarified. “But if you try to catch us, I may not be able to — or want to — hold my other back.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a fact. One that—”

A loud beeping noise interrupted them.

They stared at the mask of Peter”s suit, which was laying about a foot from Peter, and the beeping soon gave way to a voice that Eddie had heard before on TV.

“Spidey? Talk to me, kid, or I swear to God I will reconsider taking the suit back. FRIDAY’s been telling me about all sorts of weird readings…”

Peter scrambled for the mask.

Tony Stark’s monologue continued.

“...okay, that’s it, I’ve located your coordinates and will be there in ninety seconds. If someone else is listening, and you’ve managed to capture Spider-Man, please stand back with your arms above your head and you may survive.”

The voice cut off after a brief interlude of wind rushing by the mic really fast.

“Damn it!” Peter threw the mask to the ground. “Interface’s damaged. I can’t talk to him!”

He looked at Eddie with round, scared eyes.

Even Venom felt sorry for him.

“We can’t be here,” Eddie said. “If Iron-Man comes after us… he’ll shoot us on sight, he'll hurt Venom...”

Peter bit his lip, then came to a decision.

“Go. Just… I’ll talk to you later but… go now!”

Eddie grabbed his backpack and threw himself out of the window. Venom materialized around him and made them invisible, then they headed to the opposite direction of the Avengers Tower to avoid Tony Stark and his all-seeing eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter to go :)
> 
> Also quick psa: I really like Tony and I personally don't think he'd intentionally hurt either Venom or Eddie, but he can be biased and overprotective when someone he loves is threatened. This is a no-hate-on-Tony zone, please and thank you.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the story ends!
> 
> Final thank-yous and shoutouts are in (no particular) order: [Star](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hereyeswerestars/pseuds/hereyeswerestars), my wonderful beta who absolutely didn't sign up for this but did it anyway; [Araydre](http://araydre.tumblr.com/), who [DREW ME FANART](http://araydre.tumblr.com/post/179550084237/for-cpt-winniethepooh-3-thank-you-so-much-for) when I mentioned I'm writing this thing (see at the end of the work); and every single one of you who left me comments and kudos -- seriously, you have no idea how much the feedback means to me, so thank you so much! <3

About three servings of various take-outs later Venom was much more forgiving for Peter’s actions. They checked into a motel under a fake name and they ordered take-out from three different places to avoid being noticed for eating too much, and they saw the world in a much brighter light with a full belly.

Iron Man didn’t follow them.

They survived. They even managed to get away without a fight. There was no need to call Annie.

On the flipside, Spider-Man knew their weakness. And their identity as well.

But they had seen his face and heard his name. Not that they would bribe or blackmail a teenager. But the knowledge made an eventual confrontation even.

Leaving was out of the question now. The police still had to tell them they were done on the Sin-Eater front, and they simply _had_ to talk to Spidey once more, at the very least So after it became unlikely that Iron Man would break down the door and demand answers, they settled in front of the TV, Eddie curling up to the armrest of the couch, Venom curling up inside Eddie, and they rested.

Eddie counted on Peter being able to find them once more, despite the fake ID, but he didn’t want the face-to-face to happen in their hotel room — _again._ So the next evening they went up to the rooftop with a few gratuitous bars of chocolate to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Venom materialized in the form of a warm hoodie around Eddie, and he relished in his other's warmth. While on very rare occasions he may have missed being the only voice in his own head, stakeouts were not among those moments. He had pulled all-nighters on chilly corners for an article before Venom, and the cold and the loneliness had always left him in a foul and rather depressed mood. His head wasn't always a nice place to be, without Venom, at least.

His other, however, had a child-like curiosity about the world, and they always listened to Eddie's musings with an open and judgement-free mind.

Even if they also did stupid shit like trying to be a villain to Spider-Man’s hero.

Currently, Venom’s musings were around the Spider-Kid.

Maybe Eddie overestimated him. He sighed and let Venom engulf him and jump up to a nearby building, and then another, higher and higher, until they found a remote place where the ferris wheel of Coney Island was visible. Venom released Eddie and he took out his phone to snap and post a picture of the landmark to Instagram, then they waited some more.

Spider-Man dropped into his trademark crouching position ten minutes later.

“Is that how you track your criminals, too? By Google alert?” Eddie asked.

“Whatever works,” Peter said and shrugged. “Is that a confirmation that you’re a criminal?”

“If you Googled me, you probably have your opinion about that. But thanks for not ratting us out to Iron Man.”

Peter sighed but the mask remained empty-eyed. “I wanted to talk to you again and I’m not sure I did the right thing. But but I’m curious about _your_ opinion. Do you think what you do is bad?”

Well, that was a first. Although Eddie had made a living of telling people about his viewpoints on certain issues, not many people were ever curious about his thoughts on personal matters. Other than Annie, of course, and some of his previous partners, and now his ever-curious other.

As usual, thinking about Venom in a complementary fashion elicited a purr-like response in the symbiote.

“We don’t always follow the law,” Eddie began. “And I haven’t, even before we found each other. There are certain situations where the law isn’t helpful. And… oh c’mon, if I’m laying myself open like this, I should at least be able to see your face.”

The expressionless mask unnerved him more than he had thought.

The kid hesitated.

“I have seen your face, and I have a very good memory too. Comes with the job.”

“Fine,” Peter sighed, but pulled the mask off. “Happy now?”

**_CAN’T EAT, RIGHT, EDDIE?_ **

_Oh come on, I know you don’t really want to eat him._

“Yes, thank you.”

“You were just telling me about how you’re above obeying the law.”

“Yeah, and that all high and mighty tone would suit you better if you weren’t wearing a jumpsuit when you go hunting for bad guys while also being a _kid_.”

“I’m nineteen!” Peter exclaimed.

“Oh god, V, he’s nineteen,” Eddie echoed. Venom materialized as a blob on his shoulder.

“ **CHILDREN ARE VULNERABLE**.”

Peter squinted. “That thing _tried to kill me!”_

Venom hissed, outright _hissed_ at Peter. Eddie had never heard them do that before.

“ **WANTED TO HELP** ,” they said. “ **YOU _HURT US_**!”

Peter took a step back and still looked rather bewildered. “That… it… they… ugh!” he rubbed at his forehead, then promptly sat down onto the ground, legs crossed. “I thought the weirdest thing I would ever see was the Hulk being taught how to swim by _Hawkeye_.”

“That… is pretty weird by itself, yeah. When you’re not used to this kind of thing.”

“I thought I was,” Peter mused sadly.

A strong urge came from Venom, one that Eddie hadn’t felt too often before.

**_COMFORT_ ** _._

Eddie plopped down next to Peter, but not too close in case Venom freaked him out again.

“How long have you been Spider-Man?” he asked kindly.

“Four years,” Peter said.

Venom worried. **_FIFTEEN IS YOUNG, ISN’T IT?_**

_Very young, my love. Very young._

“That must have been hard,” Eddie said.

“It was, I…” Peter rubbed at his head again, then he glanced at Venom. “You?”

“We met almost two years ago,” Eddie said. Venom headbutted his chin affectionately. “Had our ups and downs. A lot of it. At first it was… very hard. I didn’t understand what was happening, why my body was behaving the way it did.”

Peter nodded along, eyes wide.

“Everyone thought I was insane. Then we had to save the world.”

Peter smiled weakly. “I know how that feels.”

“Yeah. We, um… we really didn’t want to hurt you. Or anybody else. We want to help people, but it doesn’t always work out.”

“I also know how that feels,” Peter admitted. “I just. You said you and your other both want this?” he gestured at Eddie and Venom. Venom followed his movements like a cat. Peter’s eyes, in return, tracked Venom, and Eddie would’ve bet that despite his calm demeanour, he was ready to bolt at the first sign of hostility.

Venom noted this and tuned his cheshire cat grin down a notch.

“Yes. We’ve been separated — could be separated, if we wanted to. But we both want each other.”

He raised his hand, and Venom snuggled his palm, closing his eyes when Eddie began scratching him.

“Don’t judge it by what _you_ felt — Venom didn’t want to bond with you.”

“ **ONLY EDDIE** _,”_ Venom confirmed.

“Okay,” Peter sighed. “Okay. I looked you up, you were right, and based on the news reels and stuff, you only went after the evil ones. That Scorpion guy, for instance.”

Eddie scowled, and Venom mirrored that. “He deserves whatever we can give him.”

“Yeah, I gathered as much. I’m glad people like him aren’t around in New York…”

“The Avengers would catch him,” Eddie offered.

“Probably.”

They sat in silence for a while.

“I should call them,” Peter said. “I don’t know what to do with you. Or at least I don’t want to do what I should do.”

Venom’s eyes narrowed.

“Which is?”

“Innocent people have died when you wanted to serve justice,” Peter said. “Multiple times.”

 **“REGRET THAT,”** Venom said. “ **SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE CAREFUL.”**

“Innocent people have also died, when the Avengers saved New York from the Chitauri,” Eddie said very softly. “And will continue to do so, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t do what you can to help.”

Eddie distinctly remembered a candid of Cap giving a similar speech to his team, too.

Peter curled and uncurled his fists. “You are more dangerous, though.”

“And how are you the judge of that, exactly?” Eddie asked and crossed his arms. “Your pal Stark killed millions before he was Iron Man.”

Now Peter was the one to scowl. “I _know_ that! _He_ knows that! But he changed!”

“ **SO HAVE WE** ,” Venom said. “ **WANTED TO ATTACK EARTH. NOW WE WANT TO PROTECT.** ”

“That’s _so_ comforting,” Peter said. Then he sighed. “I want to believe you, I really do.”

“But?”

Peter hesitated. “But I didn’t feel your, your other, to be this benevolent.”

Venom looked at Eddie. Eddie felt what he wanted, and turned to Peter.

“We can show you, if you want, but only if you want.”

Peter’s eyes were blown wide, the white showing up pronounced in the night. Eddie didn’t move, and Venom only swung back and forth a little.

“ **WON’T HURT,** ” Venom said.

“This’ll be the stupidest thing I’ve ever done,” Peter groaned, then reached out toward Venom.

Venom swirled around Peter’s hand gently, and he watched with awe and horror. Just like last time, they didn’t leave Eddie’s consciousness completely as they absorbed into Peter’s skin. He shuddered and whined, and then, when he blinked, ink twirled in his eyes.

Eddie felt Peter through Venom, which… he didn’t have words to describe how strange that was.

They had done this, with Annie, when Venom needed a host after a nasty battle left Eddie incapacitated beyond Venom’s healing abilities, and Venom learned to be gentle with a new host. Not to overshare. Not to overwhelm. But each time, the double vision of Eddie seeing himself and his surroundings from someone else’s eyes was… otherworldly.

Magnificent.

Terrifying.

He felt Peter’s reservations, his fear, his confusion. His worry about his… aunt? His desire to be good enough for Stark. His love for the Avengers, and for humanity itself, but also for every life form on the planet and around it. His crush on a girl with curly hair and snarky attitude. His conflict between his superhero life and his mundane, private affairs.

In return, Venom shared their own wish to protect people, to be heroes. How they wished only to help Peter by pretending to be a villain. Their love for Eddie and need for a connection with someone. Their past, how it hurt when they had been called a parasite, a monster. How they never wanted to experience that, ever again. How they would do anything to protect Eddie. And also their need for chocolate.

“Ah!” Peter shouted and fell forward, and Venom hid around Eddie’s heart.

 ** _MISS YOU, EDDIE,_** they said.

 _I missed you too, love_ , Eddie said, and if he didn’t know better, he would’ve said his heart ached only because Venom bruised it.

Peter panted heavily, but straightened up on his own. He needed to lean on his hands to keep upright, but Eddie thought it better not to offer a hand. Not until they knew how he’d react.

 ** _GOOD KID_** , Venom thought.

“That’s a lot,” Peter said. “Is it… always like that.”

“No. Once you bond, it’s… you feel whole. Like never before.”

Peter shuddered. “I don’t think I could live with that.”

Venom shrunk back down a little. Eddie geared up for a fight, which Peter noticed. He leaned back a little.

“But if it’s your thing, hey, I’m not judging. And,” he exhaled deeply, “okay, fine. You two aren’t evil. I believe you.”

“Thank you,” Eddie relaxed, and so did Venom.

 _You did amazing, my dear._ You _persuaded him!_

“So unless I catch you eating people, you’re free to go, I won’t stop you. And I won’t tell the Avengers.”

Peter gestured at the horizon, but he still was whiter than white.

“Thank you,” Eddie said with feeling, and Venom nodded. Peter nodded half-heartedly, and Eddie didn’t have it in him - or in Venom - to just up and leave.

Mind if we stay for a while, then?” he asked.

“What?”

“You look like you’re on the verge of a breakdown.”

“Oh. Yeah, no, I’m fine, but you can stay.”

“Okay. So.” Eddie let that sink until Peter glanced at him. “Who’s the girl?”

“YOU SAW ALL THAT?” Peter squeaked.

“Yep. Gotta say, she has humour.”

Peter stared at him, then let himself fall back to the ground.

“She would be laughing her ass off at me right now.”

 ** _LOSER LIKE US_** , Venom preened. Eddie snickered.

“They called you a loser,” he told Peter at his questioning glance.

“She’d agree. She’d like you too, I think.”

“Does she know about your extracurricular activities?”

“Yeah. Does your… I mean do you have a—?’

“I have Venom,” Eddie said. “My ex and her fiancé do know, though.”

Funny, how that didn’t even hurt anymore — her fiancé.

Not when he had Venom.

“How can you manage a social life?” Peter asked, and he sounded genuinely curious under at least three different layers of exhaustion.

Eddie considered his answer. “I don’t care about what people think, anymore, and I mean that in the kindest way. Not many would understand my relationship, for instance. It’s easy to let go.”

“My friends are important to me,” Peter said. “I don’t want to leave them behind. But I could barely juggle high school with being Spider-Man and now college is just harder…”

“You could focus on your studies first, and be Spider-Man later?”

“And what if there’s someone I could have stopped?”

**_WE COULD HELP HIM OUT. MOVE BACK HERE. BE SPIDER-MAN WHILE HE STUDIES!_ **

_Yeah, no. Look where trying to help him got us._

Venom sulked.

“They’re talking to you?” Peter asked.

“Yeah. They insist on helping you.”

“That’s nice.” And he sounded genuine about it. “So many people do. Reminds me why I’m doing this.”

**_WISH PEOPLE WANTED TO HELP US._ **

_He does now, thanks to_ you _._

Venom’s inner purring increased.

“Does Stark help with, I dunno, life management?”

Peter sighed.

“He offered to pay my tuition but I didn’t let him.”

“Why on Earth not?!”

“I want to do it on my own,” Peter said with his chin raised.

**_WANTS TO PROVE HIMSELF._ **

“So I’m guessing you also work?”

Peter nodded. “Paid internship with SI.”

Well, at least not all hope was lost.

“So you go to classes, have a job, and also do superheroing on the side. And you wonder why you have no social life?”

Peter glared. Eddie glared back.

“What are you studying?”

“Engineering and chemistry, but I haven’t picked a major yet. Why?”

“Well, if it comes down to it… pick a job like a PD or a journalist, pick your own work hours. Easiest cover for a superhero. If something comes up, you can just say that duty calls and leave without anyone being suspicious.”

“That is… good advice,” Peter said timidly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

They sat in silence for a while, so much so that Venom’s thoughts circled back to chocolate eventually, but Eddie wanted to give the kid the chance to leave first.

So when Peter got up slowly, Eddie stood, too.

“I gotta go. My aunt will be worried.”

“Take care, Peter.”

Peter hesitated. “Parker. Name’s Peter Parker.”

Eddie grinned and shook his hand. “Eddie Brock. Nice to meet you, Peter.”

 **“WE ARE VENOM,** ” Venom materialized over Eddie, covering him in safety.

“…I’ll keep an eye on you,” Peter said, slightly bewildered still, and pulled his mask on before he shot himself up into the night sky.

To Eddie’s absolute shock and _horror_ , Venom also raised their arm and a black, inky, web-like rope flew to the neighboring wall, and they slinged across the block with ease.

_WHAT THE HELL?!_

**_LEARNED IT FROM THE SPIDERLING,_** Venom declared proudly. Eddie closed his eyes, terrified — they were never, ever helping superheroes who had an affinity for heights, _ever again_.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And an honorable mention of inspiration: I saw a post on tumblr abour how Eddie, Peter and Jessica Jones would be amazing together as PIs, and I'm fully on board XD But for the life of me I cannot find that post now so if anyone knows, send me the link and I'll credit it. (Same goes for the "Peter is a loser and Venom would adopt him instantly" headcanon but I feel like that's more general than the detectiving together one.) 
> 
> Once again thank you for your feedback! <3 Please go and show some love for [Araydre's fanart on tumblr](http://araydre.tumblr.com/post/179550084237/for-cpt-winniethepooh-3-thank-you-so-much-for); and while we're here, [my tumblr](http://cpt-winniethepooh.tumblr.com/) is also a thing where I post a lot of Avengers stuff ;) And feel free to tell me what you thought about how I worked the comics into this story! 
> 
> P.S. Some of you shot ideas at me in the comments for future fic possibilities and I can be bullied into writing that sort of thing, just saying. :P 


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